Our Dachshunds, Our Heroes
Meet our latest Dachshund Hero, 12-year-old red smooth 'Buster,' who hails from Grovetown, Georgia. When his human, Lelia Boatright, went into insulin shock at 3 in the morning, Buster let the whole house know and saved her life! Excerpt from the Columbia County News-Times:
“He started howling, that’s what woke me up,” said Les Boatright, of Grovetown. “The dog let us know that something was wrong.”
At about 3 a.m., Buster alerted Boatright that his wife, Lelia, was having a medical crisis. Lelia Boatright, who has been an insulin-dependent diabetic for more than 35 years, was in insulin shock.
Her blood sugar dropped so low that she lost consciousness and nearly died.
“The dog started causing a ruckus,” said Les Boatright, who sleeps in another room because of a ruptured disc in his back. “I went in there to check on what was wrong with the dog. That’s when I found her like that. I thought she was dead.”
He said the mattress was soaked in sweat, and his wife’s eyes had rolled back in her head. She had only a weak pulse and shallow breathing.
Lelia Boatright said she has a glucose monitoring system implanted under her skin that works with an insulin pump.
When her glucose monitor detects that her blood sugar is high or low, it sends a message to the pump, which signals Lelia Boatright. She then has to hit a button to dispense the medication that keeps her blood sugar from skyrocketing.
The last thing she remembers is having dinner and checking her blood sugar – and everything was fine.
She took what she believed was her typical insulin dose and went to bed.
“I just, somehow, hit the wrong button and gave myself 10 units (of insulin) instead of the one or two that I usually take to get (my blood sugar) down,” Lelia Boatright said. “It was the maximum amount my pump is set for.”
She said she woke up in the ambulance, dazed and confused, but was eventually able to answer the medical personnel’s questions. She never realized what went wrong until she was in the hospital and checked the history on her insulin pump.
If Buster hadn’t alerted Les Boatright, his wife likely would have died by morning.
The Boatrights actually gave Buster to their son, Joseph, on his 8th birthday. The now-20-year-old is finishing his first year away at college, so Buster has taken to sleeping with Lelia Boatright.
“God has a plan for everything,” she said. “And it just wasn’t my time yet.”
We're so proud of you Buster! Read more of this story at the Columbia County News-Times.
Joey's Hardware
We're always fascinated with the inner workings of a Dachshund, and have featured x-rays of Joey and our dear departed Maggie several times over the years. We recently went to the vet to have a look at Joey's heart. With all the medical conditions that he has, he also has had a heart murmur his entire life, and it has progressed to about a grade 3. Heart murmurs are common in small dogs such as Dachshunds, and they worsen as the dogs get older, eventually leading to CHF, or congestive heart failure. If Joey were to start showing signs of exercise intolerance or "coughing," it will be time to start him on some cardiac meds. Thankfully, he's not showing any of these symptoms yet, but with the long-standing condition, it was prudent to have a look inside.
We were happy to find that things look pretty good. You can see his heart in the above photo, center left, and it does not appear to be enlarged. That's his lungs to the right of the heart, and there doesn't appear to be any fluid buildup, so that's positive as well.
Our wonderful veterinarian and hero, Dr. Cohen at Wicker Park Veterinary Clinic, had a good laugh when he noticed all of Joey's "hardware." If you look in the upper right, you can see all the surgical staples inside him from his previous bi-lateral adrenalectomy and spleenectomy, and it took a minute to realize what all the foreign bodies were! Hopefully Joey won't have to go through any metal detectors any time soon. You can see another staple in the belly-view photo below near one of his ribs.
Glens Falls Wiener Walk!
Look at all the Dachshunds who showed up to honor veterans by marching in the Glens Falls-Queensbury Memorial Day parade on Monday! It's the fourth year that Dachshunds have participated in the event, which took place in Glens Falls, New York. See lots of photos at the Glens Falls Wiener Walk Facebook Page.
'The Long and Short of it All' Turns Five Years Old
With little fanfare, yesterday we celebrated the 5th Anniversary of 'The Long and Short of it All.' Dad forgot the party hats, but won this Dachshund sign in a raffle basket at last week's MWDR fundraiser, so he put it around Joey's head and said "Now it's a party! Smile!" Do we look amused? Shouldn't Rowdy be wearing a lampshade? We weren't impressed in the slightest until Dad broke out the fresh strawberry shortcake topped with whipped cream and blueberries. Now THAT's a party!
Every year Dad says that our anniversary is going to be the end of the blog. It happened the first year, the second year, the third year, and so on, and when he kept going, he kept saying that five was the magic number - the fifth anniversary of the blog is going to be the very last post we will ever do. Well, too bad he missed yesterday's deadline announcement because we're still here today and we're still blogging. So stay tuned.
And so we wrap up Long and Short of it All post number 2,855. Danke schön to all our loyal readers and commentors for sticking with us over the years - it's been a fun ride. Thank you from the heart of our bottoms.
Yours in Dachshund Love,
Joey and Rowdy....
Memorial Day 2012: Historic Dachshund Fun
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty. ~ Dachshund Lover John F. Kennedy
We want to take a moment to thank all the men and women who serve and protect us, today and every day, past and present. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be sitting here blogging about Dachshunds, and complaining about the weather. Thank you.
As long-time readers of The Long and Short of it All know, we take extra time and effort to post military-inspired Dachshund photos and stories on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Today we bring you these historic WW2 US Army Air Corps photos of a Dachshund mascot sitting on top of a P-51D Mustang with his pals. Above, he enjoys the company of Lieutenant Hatfield.
If you are a new reader at The Long and Short of it All, you will definitely want to visit the archives for some absolutely amazing military-inspired Dachshund tales and images:
Dachshund Homecoming Video
Happy Memorial Day
Veterans Day and Dachshunds
Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Fritz and the "Jane" Cartoon Series
Dachshunds in History: The Saga of Sgt. Wally D. Hund
Dachshunds Reunited with their Dads in the News
Dachshunds and Veterans Day
Dachshunds Teleconferencing with their Dads in Iraq in the News
Dachshunds in History: Mimi, A Most Unpopular Dog During WW2
Memorial Day Dachshund: Meet Gus
Dachshund News Roundup! - story on Vietnam War Veteran Jim Quick and his dachshund
Dachshund News Roundup! - story on Iraq War Veteran Scott MacKenzie and his new rescue boy
Dachshunds in History: Hark! Hark! The Dogs Do Bark!
Dachshunds in History: Dogs of War
Dachshund Dearest
"If I can`t be me, I don`t want to be anybody. I was born that way." ~Joan Crawford
1939 - JOAN CRAWFORD introduces her brand new dachshund, Stinkie, to this business of movie making between scenes of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's "The Women," in which she is starred with Norma Shearer and Rosalind Russell. The picture is brought to the screen by Hunt Stromberg, directed by [Dachshund Lover] George Cukor.
Dachshund Love Stories: Kaitlyn Gets Her Gretchen Back
When divorces happen, sometimes dogs are stolen and it takes a court order to get them back. Kaitlyn got her Gretchen back. By youtuber alextheberge.
Dachshund Trouble: Rampaging Sausage Dog Brutally Slaughters Four Chickens
Somehow, Mr. Taylor says, a dachshund from ‘the big house’ next door got through the hedge and killed all four birds.
Mrs Taylor was left in tears. She said: ‘The hens had been laying beautifully – four a day. They were so friendly. They clucked all day long.’
After the attack last week, Mr Taylor said he ‘went out, picked up a stick and hit the bloomin’ dog. He ran off right through our boxleaf honeysuckle hedge towards the big house’.
The house in question is owned by multimillionaire property developer Harry Marriott, who bought the estate for £6million in 2004.
It was previously owned by Tory MP Michael Colvin, 67, who died with his wife Nichola when the manor house was destroyed by fire in 2000.
Mr Marriott, 50, and his wife Dinah, 48 – a close relative of former Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home – built a new mansion on the estate worth £4million.
Mr Taylor, who was Mr Colvin’s gardener, and his wife have lived on the estate as tenants for half a century. The Colvins built their bungalow, Gardener’s Cottage, for them in 1961 and it stands within the estate grounds, a few hundred yards from the main house where Mr and Mrs Marriott live.
They claim the chicken killer was Willow, a dachshund belonging to the Marriotts.
Following the incident, Mrs Haynes said the Marriotts have agreed to pay her £130 – the value of the four chickens as assessed by her.
Yesterday a representative of Mr and Mrs Marriott confirmed that they own a dachshund and said they have tried to deal with the incident responsibly and as quickly as possible, given that Mr Marriott was abroad at the time.
He said: ‘Apologies were immediately proffered to the Taylors following the incident.
‘An offer to pay for the four hens was promptly made as soon as the value had been ascertained with the owner of the hens, who does not live in Tangley, as the Taylors did not know the value of them.
‘A cheque for an agreed sum has been sent to the owner to compensate her. Apologies were also proffered to the owner of the hens.
‘It is understood that Mr Taylor, who had erected a temporary chicken run, had let the hens out to roam the garden. Mr Marriott has subsequently freely offered Mr and Mrs Taylor as much chicken wire as they might require to keep their chickens in.’
We're glad to hear that the Marriotts did the right thing. Read the entire story at The Daily Mail.
Dachshund Love: Rosie and Jimmy Dean
Thanks so much to Lauren Miller for writing in with a beautiful photo of the new addition to her pack! She pens:
Dear Joey and Rowdy,
Hi guys! I've written in before about my son Jimmy Dean, on the right, and recently we've added to the family!! Jimmy wasn't too fond of the idea at first, but 3 weeks later you would never know! Rosie, left, is 13-weeks-old and loves her new brother! She's going to out grow him in no time! And they sure love to snuggle.
Collector's Corner: Dachshund Knick-Knacks, Curios & Treasures (AKA Wiener Dog Junk)
This is like 50 of our Shopping/Collector's Corner posts all in one 8-minute video! Drool over all which could be yours if you're in the right place at the right time. By youtuber bbrennert who notes:
We've been collecting Dachshund related knick-knacks for some 20 years since we first had Dachshunds. We started the collection by accident, and have been finding Dachshund stuff all over the world since then. This video highlights some of the best things we have in our collection.
Psychic German Sausage Dog Predicts Bayern FC Win
Good Gosh, we LOVE the mustache. What is it with Germans and their psychic animals? First it was Paul the Octopus who correctly picked world cup winning results, now it is a German sausage dog called 'Sissi' who has nosed out a prediction that Bayern Munich would win last weekend's Champion league final against Chelsea. Video by IBTimesUK.
'The Long and Short of it All' is Brought to You by:
The Loft Shoe Boutique. Dachshunds make the best fashion accessories.
Thanks so much to Doris for writing in:
Hi Guys, Looking for Summer footwear and look who's here. Many little dogs but, of course, our guys lead the way!
I would skip such high heels when out walking with Sammy, flats are essential! Love your blog.
Please support our Advertisers.
The sausage dog stays! I'll keep taking pet to the office, insists Minister who used staff microwave to warm dachshund's pillow
You go Mr.UK Energy Minister Greg Barker (huh?)! Yep, his office mates weren't so happy when he used the office microwave to warm up Otto's pillow-like warming pad, but he'll keep bringing the Dachshund to the office. Excerpt from The Daily Mail:
Conservative Mr Barker, a close friend of David Cameron, started taking 20-week-old Otto to his office because he thought he was too young to leave at home.
‘I bought the heat pad to go under his mat,’ he said. ‘It helps Otto nod off to sleep.
'Unfortunately, I forgot to heat it up at home so I popped it in the microwave when I got to the office, which I shouldn’t have done.
'There was a complaint and I have said sorry.’
Mr Barker says his dog is enormously helpful in getting meetings with foreign dignitaries off to a smooth start.
Mr Barker decided to buy a dachshund after a conversation with Italian-born socialite Carla Powell, wife of Margaret Thatcher’s former adviser Charles Powell. ‘I got talking to her on an official trip to Rome. She is crazy about dachshunds.’
Aren't we all? Read more about Otto and Mr. Barker at The Daily Mail.
WEE-ners against NATO
It's been total chaos in Chicago, the world headquarters of The Long and Short of it All, over the last four days with the NATO summit and all of its protesters here. We couldn't be happier now that it's over.
But this red smooth wanted to make sure her bark was heard at Saturday's Cross-Town Bark Around Fundraiser sponsored by MidWest Dachshund Rescue. And it was - she won the costume contest as judged by WGN radio personality John Williams.
We had an awesome time at this year's event - there were over 1,400 humans in attendance and heaven knows how many Dachshunds - easily over 400. Fifty volunteers kept the event running smoothly. We're hoping lots of hard cash was raised to help the needy Dachshunds that come into rescue.
See 125 super photos from the event by Jill Wait Pet Photography on Facebook.
The Shortest Hobo
We can't think of a better way to celebrate our return from hiatus and to kick off your Monday than with this heart-warming video by youtuber Brigabbianna. They note: A Dachshund parody of a Canadian TV show called The Littlest Hobo starring a german shepherd that was Canada's tougher version of Lassy. This was filmed on a beautiful spring day in Creston, B.C. starring our 10 year old Dachshund named Fernandez, aka BooBoo.
Mary Richardson Kennedy
Things surely couldn't have possibly been as bad as Ms. Kennedy, estranged wife of RFK, Jr., thought they were - look at the beautiful Dachshunds she had in her life. Thanks so much to Wendigo Wolf for sending in the photo. Wendigo writes:
Dear Joey and Rowdy,
Mary Kennedy recently passed away, and I found this cover at nypost.com with a couple of longhair doxies. Thats all I could find, I don't know any more about them.
A Note From Joey and Rowdy: Please Stand By
Dear Gentle Readers,
We're going on vacation for a few days to visit our Grandma and Grandpa, but we'll be back in about a week. We can't wait to play with our Dachshund cousin 'Rudy,' and his new brother 'Baxter,' who is not a Dachshund, but a young pup who will play with Rowdy the way he wishes Joey would play and wrestle with him - for hours and hours on end until their tongues are dragging the floor and they finally pass out cold from exhaustion.
Enjoy the Long and Short of it All archives while we're gone, and make sure and give your Mommas a BIG WET SLURPY KISS for Mother's Day. They deserve it.
Yours in Dachshund Love,
Joey and Rowdy.....
The 2012 Dachshund National Specialty Show
OOhhh! We love to watch the beautiful Dachshunds. The 2012 Dachshund Club of America's National Specialty Show was held in Pine Mountain, Georgia April 16 - 21. Show highlights by youtuber Purebred Studios.
Upcoming MWDR Fundraiser - UPDATE!
......BREAKING DACHSHUND NEWS DEVELOPMENT.......BREAKING DACHSHUND NEWS DEVELOPMENT......BREAKING DACHSHUND NEWS DEVELOPMENT......
Dear Joey & Rowdy,
We have an update for all the dachshunds who plan on attending THE Sausage-Dog Event of the season!
The Cross Town Bark Around Fundraiser sponsored by MidWest Dachshund Rescue...Saturday May 19th 2012, 11:30AM to 4:00 PM at the DuPage County Fairgrounds,2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton, Illinois
Will be opening 1/2 hour early, at 11:30AM, to accommodate the expected sheer volume of veenerdog participation.
Mom and dad are all about the fabulous raffle prizes, silent auctions, meeting the foster dogs and the Doxie General Store full of dachshund-specific merchandise for sale.
Let's talk about some of the prizes.We dachshunds cannot attend a Cubs or Sox game, fly on Southwest Airlines or go to Disneyworld or a Coldplay concert. And the last time we tried to get into The Drake Hotel it didn't end well!!!
We are all about the Weiner Games! The doxie races, the canine camaraderie! We've never 'smelled' so many new friends before in one place. Our schnozzes will be on hiny-overload! And of course we expect a morsel of your free hot dog to land our way (*wink wink*).
Here is the list of activities:
Event Schedule:
12:30 Foster Dog Parade
1:00 Kissing Contest, Peanut Butter Lick contest, Hot Dog Dunk, Costume Contest
2:15 50/50 Raffle Drawing Winner
2:30 Raffle Drawings Begin-Must be present to win
3:15 Silent Auction Closes
3:15 Wiener Races follows Silent Auction - Pre-registration table open till 1:30
Activities Going on All Day:
Hot dog and drink included with admission
Nail Trims by Lisa - $5.00 per dog.Until 3:00PM
Walk your Dog Cake Walk - $1.00 to play
Doxie Photos in Wienermobile Pedal Car- $10.00
Ask the Trainer Booth/Teach a Dog a trick Booth/Narnia Pet Behavior Training & Wiggle and Wags
Paw Painting $2.00 for a matted picture/$3.00on canvas
Micro Chip Clinic - $30.00 includes registration
Bake Sale - Home made goodies for you and your pet
Doxie General Store - Purchase beds,blankets, harnesses and other hand made doxie-related items
We accept cash or checks only
And how's this for a warm fuzzy: All of the proceeds go to help vet MidWest Dachshund Rescue's foster dogs.
There are 10 new kids coming in this week alone and one is gonna be a new momma any day now!
Hope to see you there!
Hugs and dog kisses,
Turbo & Lily
Lola Finds Her Forever Home!
Pitched puppy adopted: fox10tv.com
We're sure that you remember the story of 'Lola,' the puppy who was thrown over a third-story balcony a few weeks ago. Well, great news: she has recovered and has found a new forever home! Our roving reporters 'Teenie' and 'Bowser' write:
Dear Joey and Rowdy,
We just wanted to send you this update on Lola, the dachshund puppy from Alabama that was thrown from a third floor balcony. She's doing great and getting new parents! Here's a link to her story: Lola, puppy thrown from balcony, has a new home. It's always nice to hear a happy ending. Love to read your blog.
Heroic Canadian Dachshund Inducted Into Purina Hall Of Fame
Wiener Dog Porn
We're woofless. How lascivious for a fine young Lady. By youtuber The Joe Show.
Capitals’ defenseman Karl Alzner’s dogs had way more fun Wednesday night than he did
Thanks to the many folks who wrote in about this hilarious story. You guys sure do make reporting the Dachshund News easier! 'Rosco P. Dog' from Lee's Summit Missouri sends in:
Dear Joey and Rowdy,
My master Rick and I were cruising the internet and ran into this article on Yahoo! It is another glaring example of a poor innocent Dachshund who witnessed a horrible act of vandalism. Thank-Goodness the Dachshund and his buddy were ok. Via Yahoo Sports:
Imagine being Washington Capitals' defenseman Karl Alzner Wednesday night. Imagine, say, that you played 37:14, over 11 minutes more than your previous career-high, in a 2-1 triple-overtime loss to the New York Rangers -- that you were one of the players in a game that beat pretty much everyone to a bloody pulp and took 114:41 to decide, nearly twice as long as it was supposed to.
Worse, imagine that, just after you pressured Dan Girardi along the far boards, he swung the puck behind the goal to Brad Richards, who centered to Marian Gaborik for the game-winner at 14:41, and all you could do was slam your stick against the glass and head to the room as they celebrated.
Then imagine that, six hours after puck drop, you arrived at home, sore as all hell, thinking about all the things that could have gone your way but didn't. And then you opened your door to this nonsense.
Alzner tweeted the following photo at 1:57 a.m. EST Thursday morning, captioned with the words, "Dogs not happy about the loss either."
Peter Alexander Skypes With His Dachshunds
Us Dachshunds love bedtime, and we can imagine that it must be even more fun when your Dad designs pajamas. Australian Dachshund Lover Peter Alexander talks about his crew at news.com.au:
Even when the designer travels overseas for work on his eponymous sleepwear brand - which celebrates its 25th birthday this year - he speaks to his 'fur babies', dachshund Betty and dachshund cross Butch, every day. "My personal trainer looks after them, and I make him Skype and hold them up to the camera so I can talk to them," Alexander says with a laugh. "Dogs give so much. They remind me how simple life can be and what's really important."
Yep.
Related: Dachshund Pajamas For The Guys
Don't miss Mr. Alexander's fun doxie-themed website: Peter Alexander USA.
Vintage Dachshund Fun
Catching Up With Iris Love
Joey and Maggie Featured in Local Paper for MWDR Fundraiser
Activities in addition to the Doxie Dash include raffles and silent auctions, featuring Cubs and White Sox tickets, theme park passes, dining gift cards and overnight hotel stays. The event also will feature a Doxie “Kiss-Off,” Doxie Cake Walk, Best Costume and Best “Peanut Butter Licker” Contests and Paw Painting on Canvas for the little Pawcassos. The Doxie General Store will feature one-of-a-kind dog-related items. There also will be “Ask The Trainer” and “Teach A Dog A Trick” booths, a bake sale, nail trims, wiener games and photos with the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Pedal Car.
All proceeds benefit rescued dachshunds whose veterinary care, spaying and neutering, food, medication and other needs prior to adoption are funded by MWDR.
Admission is $5 for adults, which includes one free hot dog. Registration is not required for admission but advance registration is necessary for Doxie Dash Wiener Race participants.
Read more at Trib Local.
Ted Baker 'Sassey - Dog Bobble Matinee' Wallet
Mother's Day is right around the corner, and if you haven't got your Mom a gift yet, or if you're a Mom and deserve a great gift, how could you possibly go wrong with this 'Sassey - Dog Bobble Matinee' Wallet by Ted Baker London? Via Nordstrom:
A delightful dachshund clasp keeps watch atop a patent leather wallet that opens to an expertly organized interior lined in a signature print.
- Snap-flap closure.
- Exterior zip pocket.
- Interior currency and coin pockets; eleven card slots; ID window.
- Leather.
Wirehair Wednesday: It's All About The Birthday Boy
Dachshund Spring Fiesta 2012
Hundreds of Dachshunds and Dachshundists descended on Washington Square Park in New York City on Saturday for the 2012 Dachshund Spring Fiesta. The event, now in its 21st year, is our sign that Spring has truly arrived! Excerpt via the Washington Square News:
Washington Square Park was once again overrun by the hottest dogs in town on Saturday as part of the Dachshund Friendship Club's biennial event, Dachshund Day. The Dachshund Spring Fiesta is a free public event in which dachshund owners come out by the hundreds to socialize and show off their very own wiener dogs.
OUCH! Wiener Dog On Losing End Of Porcupine Quills
“Quills were removed successfully without anesthesia but not without a lot of squalling,” Wolbrecht reports.
Related Video: Ouch! Dachshund Vs. Porcupine







































